Scan 23
Musical Courier 1906-12-19: Vol 53 Iss 1395, 1906
37 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026. Printed page 22. See the scan on archive.org.
1MUSICAL COURIER feels no compunction about discussing them, but what puzzles this paper is that proofs should be brought forward at such a late day of something which might just as well have been left unestablished, for domestic reasons if for no other.
3MONTE CARLO AND PARIS NEWS.
5Monte Carlo has a small opera house but a pretentious opera season, and while it may be possible that many musical events of bygone days had their significance it must be said, in justice to M. Raoul Gunsbourg, that only since his day has the opera at Monte Carlo attained a general reputation for artistic prominence. While I am about to give some of the latest news from that sport and art center I may as well state that the famous Casino, where roulette and trente et quarante are played as against Massenet and Donizetti and Mozart in the other building, the former has also claims to art, for it was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Grand Opera House, whose gilded bust now adorns the Place Garnier at the Rue Auber end of the opera. Its atrium is decorated with landscapes by Jundt; the theater is decorated by Feyen-Perin, Boulanger (no relative of the General), Six and Clairin. The exterior has a statue called "Music," made by Mme. Sarah Bernhardt, and one called "Dancing," by Gustave Doré, and not far from the building is a monument of Hector Berlioz.
7But we are interested, not in the roulette, but in the role operatic, and there is much going on at Monte Carlo where M. Leon Jéhin still continues to "wield the baton," as it is called by professional critics.
9To began at the end, "Ariane," by Massenet, which is now on the grand opera here regularly, being a definite success, is to be followed at Monte Carlo by a still newer work of the same composer, "Thérèse," libretto, by M. Jules Claretie, the well known director of the Theatre Français. It is full of French revolution, and February will see its first production. In January "Ariane" is to be produced at Nice. Massenet is all the vogue in opera and there is no limit to his productivity. He is said to have on hand sufficient sketched material for one dozen operas, and is hunting about nervously for libretti. "Don Pasquale," the "Barber of Seville," "Lucia" and "Rigoletto" are announced, and also "Don Juan," with Litvinne in the cast and Renaud.
11Verdi's "Don Carlos," with the American singer, Miss Lindsey in the cast, and Boito's "Mefistofele," with the famous Russian basso baritone Chaliapine to reinforce it, are also to be heard. New names appear on the operatic register, such as M. Sobinoff, a Slav tenor, and Mlle. Kurz and Mlle. Storchio. However, as the season progresses, the reports from Monte Carlo will no doubt reach you, although this résumé shows how far they can go in a small opera house provided it is artistically regulated.
13Mme. Patti, after her latest farewell concert at Albert Hall, London, on Saturday, December 1, came here and is stopping at the Hotel Continental, where the Baron and Baroness Cederström are registered. She crossed the channel just as Nordica was crossing it the other way, and this has caused some to ask why Nordica was not in the Covent Garden cast this season. She reached London on the very day when the Covent Garden season ended. Not in Covent Garden, not at the Metropolitan, not as Hammerstein's, not at the Paris Opera, not at Bayreuth and not at Munich or Salzburg. Is the rumor true? One more congratulation may be in order.
15The vexed question of who is to succeed Gailhard as directing manager of the Paris Grand Opera, still continues to interest everyone here, from the Minister of Education down to the busybody boulevardiers. The candidates are three, Carré, Messager and—Gailhard. The prevailing opinion in authoritative musical circles of Paris is to the effect that the last named of the three will be the successful one; in other words, Gailhard will succeed himself. It is to be hoped that the report turns out true, for he has "made good" in the position, as theatrical parlance has it, and would continue to do so if kept there. Messager and Carré are both excellent men for the work, and if the choice should fall on either one of them, the Paris Grand Opera need feel no regret.
17MUSIC FOR THE MASSES.
19A musical library "for the people" was established at Munich last November by Dr. Marsop, a man much interested in musical reforms. The library has been a great success. In an article in the Munich Neuste Nachrichten Dr. Marsop discloses the fact that from November to July 1, 2,942 compositions had been lent by the library. It is interesting to see what the popular taste is. Of these works, 966 were for piano, 496 for violin and 'cello, 303 for voice, 763 piano arrangements of operas and oratorios, and 233 musical books. Dr. Marsop writes that the demand for violin literature is steadily increasing, and he judges from this (to quote his own words) "that the domination of the piano in the family circle is a thing of the past, and that the prospects for a renewed cultivation of good house music are excellent." How great an interest the people at large take in Wagner is revealed by the fact that 433 Wagner numbers were taken out, of which 363 were piano arrangements and transcriptions, and 70 were literary works on Wagner. Marsop declares that he could have lent out three times as many Wagner compositions if he had had the copies. He writes: "Often I was obliged to say that 'Tristan,' which had just been returned, was not in, so that the copies should not be used up too soon. Among the hundreds who waited for weeks to get the 'Meistersinger' and 'Siegfried' arrangements, I found not a few excellent musicians and serious music lovers whose means would not permit them to buy the works. Among classical composers, the greatest popular interest was shown for Beethoven, 226 of his works having been demanded. Then came Mozart with 204 and Weber with 83 (much to the astonishment of Marsop and every one else!) and Chopin with 74. Strange to say, Chopin was demanded much less than Schumann and Liszt. Marsop decides from this that Chopin had too much "Salon-Neurasthnie" to appeal to the popular South German taste. For Lortzing, curiously, there was very little demand, only 27 of his works being borrowed.
21This experiment with a "volk" music library is very interesting, but it would hardly be fair to judge the German people as a whole by Munich alone, for Munich, ever since the good burghers of that city realized what fools they had made of themselves in driving out Richard Wagner in the 60's, has been the leading Wagner city of the world. In Northern Germany the populace certainly shows a great deal more love for Chopin, Weber, Schubert and Lortzing than in Southern Germany, but anyhow Marsop's experiment has demonstrated that a "volksbibliothek" can be made a success.
23Why not establish such a department in the magnificent municipal library which New York is now building on Fifth avenue? Of course, coon songs and ragtime marches would have to be barred, in spite of the illimitable demand which is sure to arise for them.
25Bispham's London Triumph.
27LONDON, November 12, 1906.
28(By Cable.)
30"Vicar of Wakefield" had first London production this evening at Prince of Wales Theater. Immense success. Countless encores, curtain calls. Speech demanded of Bispham, who appeared as the Vicar. Liza Lehmann called for. Large and brilliant audience packed theater. Much enthusiasm. Beautiful costumes and scenery. Tuneful music well sung.
32A. T. KING.
34Some one named Gilman has written a book called "The Music of Tomorrow." The best thing about the book is the review it called forth in the Boston Herald from the pen of Philip Hale. That critic says: "It is easy to believe that Mr. Gilman is a warm admirer of Messrs. Debussy, d'Indy, Loeffler, and that he cannot endure even the thought of Strauss' 'Salome.' Against this music drama he rages violently. By the way, has he heard the music? Has he seen the opera? Or does he judge it merely from a necessarily inadequate, and, no doubt, misleading arrangement for the piano?"
36ARTHUR HARTMANN was soloist at the Friday and Saturday Symphony concerts, under Scheel, in Philadelphia, last week, and scored a magnificent success with his rousing performance of the Tschai-kowsky concerto for violin.
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